UNICEF, CIFF to support treatment of malnourished children in Kaduna

Malnourished children

FILE PHOTO: Malnourished children.

FILE PHOTO: Malnourished children.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Children Investment Foundation Fund (CIFF) on Monday pledged to support the Kaduna State Government to treat no fewer than 279,542 malnourished children in the state.

UNICEF’s Chief of Nutrition, Simeon Nanama, made the pledge during an assessment visit to a Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) site at the Primary Health Care Centre at Jaji, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Nanama noted that SAM children are 12 times likely to die than healthy children if not treated.

He stressed the need for increased intervention with a focus on treatment of affected children to save them from avoidable deaths.

The UNICEF official said CIIF, a UK-based philanthropic organisation, collaborates with other organisations around the world to improve the survival of children.

He said that UNICEF, in collaboration with CIFF, was working in Nigeria to increase SAM health facilities for the treatment of affected children.

“Our goal is to ensure that treatment is available for the majority of children affected by the disease, maintain a high quality of treatment and ensure ownership and investment by local government areas in the programme, “Nanama said.

UNICEF Nutrition Specialist in Kaduna, Chinwe Ezeife, said that the number of children affected by SAM had increased from 271,400 in 2017 to 279,542 as at the end of April.

The Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Kaduna, Dr Zakari Adam, commended the state’s commitment over the years in implementing nutrition policies and interventions.

“I particularly commend Kaduna State for mobilising domestic resources for financing nutrition interventions, especially procurement of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) used for the treatment of SAM.

“CIFF has been working in collaboration with UNICEF to scale up access to SAM treatment in Nigeria since 2014, and had so far spent about 60 million U.S dollars,” Adam said.

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He urged the government to increase funding level to make RUTF available to sustain Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) service, adding that partners funding alone cannot sustain the programme.

Hajiya Ummi El-Rufai, the wife of the Kaduna State Governor and Chairperson, Kaduna State Emergency Nutrition Action Plan (KADENAP), thanked UNICEF and CIFF for the support.

She said that 28 SAM treatment facilities are available in five LGAs, while 18 LGAs, representing 78 percent of 23 the LGAs in the state are still without treatment facilities.

According to her, about 17,981 malnourished children were admitted in the facilities with 80 percent of them successfully cured using RUTF.

She added that N750 million was spent between 2016 and 2017 to treat affected children.

After the assessment visit, the team paid a courtesy call on Gov. Nasir El-Rufa’I at Government House where it solicited for the release of more funds to fight the dreaded disease.

The leader of CIFF team, Mr Jonathan Oates, said his team was impressed with what was going on at the treatment centres and the turnout to access services.

Oates pledged to support the state government’s efforts with 100 percent of the sum government releases for nutrition intervention.

Responding, El-Rufai acknowledged that the crisis of malnutrition still persisted in the state in spite of efforts and progress recorded so far recorded.

He assured UNICEF and CIFF of his determination to do the needful in addressing the menace, particularly in the area of funding.

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